Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth saga comes to a thrilling conclusion with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, serving as both a wrap-up of The Hobbit trilogy, but also creating a bridge to the director’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Studio: Warner Brothers
Distributed By: N/A
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC, 1080P/MVC
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Spanish 5.1 DD, French 5.1 DD
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Rating: PG-13
Run Time: 2 Hr. 24 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet
5-disc Blu-ray keepcase with lenticular sleeveDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer), DVD-9 (dual layer)
Region: A, 1
Release Date: 03/24/2015
MSRP: $44.95
The Production Rating: 4.5/5
Meanwhile, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) is still imprisoned by the Orcs at Dol Goldur, and is eventually freed by Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), with assistance from Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Saruman (Christopher Lee), and Radagast (Sylvester McCoy), but at a great cost to Galadriel. Knowing what the Orcs are up to, Gandalf rushes back to Dale to warn Bilbo, Thorin, Thranduil, and Bard of what’s to come. This all leads to a defining moment in Middle-earth, with Sauron taking his first strike against dwarves, elves, and mankind with an all-out battle.
As a movie, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies works exceptionally well, with engaging battle sequences and a brisk pace that keeps the audience entertained and engaged in the storyline. Those battle sequences, however, do not top the technical achievement of those in Peter Jackson’s previous Middle-earth films, The Two Towers and The Return of the King from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The movie does succeed in tying up the loose ends from the previous Hobbit films, including the Romeo and Juliet love affair between Kili (Aidan Turner) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), and sets up story threads that continue in The Lord of the Rings.
Video Rating: 5/5 3D Rating: 4.5/5
The 3D version is spread over two discs (as noted above) to maximize bitrates, using its 3D more for a sense of scale and depth rather than relying on gimmicky pop-outs (although there are a few instances of swords and such breaking the plane, resulting in what I like to refer to as the flinch test). Ghosting and crosstallk was virtually non-existent on my Samsung 60F7100, especially after adjusting the 3D settings on the TV and using XpanD Universal RF 3D glasses rather than Samsung’s included battery-operated ones.
Audio Rating: 5/5
Special Features Rating: 3.5/5
Disc Four:
Recruiting the Five Armies (1080p; 11:39): A look at the extras hired to play Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, and townspeople for the epic battle sequences.
Completing Middle-earth: A Six-Part Saga (1080p; 9:54): A look at the narrative threads and connections the filmmakers wove into The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies to make them one complete, cohesive story.
Completing Middle-earth: A Seventeen-Year Journey (1080p; 8:59): Follows the 17-year journey the filmmakers undertook to bring Middle-earth to the screen.
The Last Goodbye: Behind the Scenes (1080p; 11:18): A look at the writing and recording of the final end credit song.
The Last Goodbye Music Video (1080p; 4:21): Performed by Billy Boyd.
Trailer #2 (1080p; 2:33): The second theatrical trailer for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Extended Edition Trailer (1080p; 1:34)
DVD Copy: The feature film plus New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth, Part 3 in 480p standard definition.
UltraViolet Digital HD Copy: Redemption code must be used by March 28, 2018.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Reviewed By: Todd Erwin
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